H. C. A. Harrison
| H. C. A. Harrison | |||
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H.C.A. Harrison in his later life
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| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Henry Colden Antill Harrison | ||
| Date of birth | 16 October 1836 | ||
| Place of birth | Jarvisfield, New South Wales | ||
| Date of death | 2 September 1929 (aged 92) | ||
| Place of death | Melbourne, Victoria | ||
| Career highlights | |||
Henry Colden Antill Harrison (16 October 1836 – 2 September 1929) was a notable early Australian rules football player and administrator.
Harrison's cousin, champion cricketer Tom Wills, founded Australian rules football in 1859, and within a year, Harrison joined him in promoting the new code. Harrison and Wills were the only pioneer figures to be inaugural inductees of the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 1996.
Harrison was born at 'Jarvisfield', near Picton, New South Wales, the son of John Harrison, a sea captain who had become a grazier, and his wife Jane, née Howe. In about 1837, the family moved to the Port Phillip District, and took up land on the Plenty River about 20 miles (32 km) from Melbourne. Some years later, they moved to the present site of St Arnaud.
In 1850, Harrison's father, being broken in health, moved to Melbourne. Henry had already been sent at the beginning of the year to the Diocesan Grammar School (the forerunner of Melbourne Grammar). After leaving school, he spent a short time in the Victorian goldfields, H. C. A. Harrison entered formal employment at the Victorian Customs Department at the end of 1853. He married his cousin, Emily Wills, in 1864 and they had four daughters.
Harrison remained with Customs for 35 years, before transferring to the Titles Office in 1887. He became Registrar of Titles in 1889, retiring in 1896. His autobiography, The Story of an Athlete, was published in 1923. Harrison died at Kew, in Melbourne, on 2 September 1929, at age of 92.
Harrison did not discover he was a good runner until he was 22 years of age, but soon afterwards he became the finest amateur runner of his period, and his matches against L. L. Mount of Ballarat caused much public interest. For nine years he was Victorian champion 'pedestrian', defeating all comers in sprints and over hurdles and steeples. He recorded a time of 50¼ seconds over 440 yards (400 m), on a grass track.
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